On any given day, one in 25 hospital patients have at least one hospital-acquired infection (HAI), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Furthermore, there were an estimated 722,000 HAIs in U.S acute care hospitals in 2011 and about 75,000 hospital patients with HAIs died during their hospitalizations.

The Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program, which penalizes hospitals for avoidable hospital-acquired conditions, reported in December that over 700 hospitals will have their total Medicare payments cut by 1 percent in fiscal year 2015.

It’s more important than ever to focus on developing a plan to lower HAI rates. The Connecticut-based company, Spectra254, has a range of UVC light decontamination systems that they claim is more than 99 percent effective at killing MRSA and C. difficile spores.

DOTmed News had the opportunity to speak with Sanford Green, senior executive at Spectra254, about the technology and what role decontamination systems like these will play in the future of infection control.

DOTmed New: How does the 1000 Series ultraviolet light system work?

Sanford Green: Ultraviolet light disinfection systems use ultraviolet C light in the spectrum between 200nm and 280nm. UVC light is germicidal — when a sufficient dosage of UVC light has touched a surface for a sufficient amount of time, it deactivates the DNA of bacteria, viruses and other pathogens and thus destroys their ability to multiply.

Disinfection times vary from system to system, depending on the system’s conversion efficiency, but cycle times can be as short as five minutes to disinfect an area as large as 400 square feet. The light is emitted in a 360 degree pattern in order to ensure complete coverage. In most cases, one room is disinfected at a time.

DOTmed News: Why should a hospital administrator consider purchasing this for their hospital?

SG: UVC light treatment is safe and effective. Because these systems are portable and easy-to-operate, there is an immediate impact on the hospital’s infection rates. The complement of terminal cleaning with UVC sanitation is the fastest way to lower infection rates.

UVC light has been independently tested for its effectiveness in killing the norovirus, salmonella, HIV, mold, MRSA, influenza, Ebola, Clostridium difficile, staph and many other viruses, bacteria, spores and super bugs.

C. diff spore elimination is often used as the benchmark for efficacy in testing, because C. diff spores are the hardest to kill because they can remain active outside the body for up to three months on surfaces. UVC light systems can be up to 99.9 percent effective in killing C. diff and other viruses and bacteria.

UVC light treatment is also completely safe for both patients and staff. Disinfection can be performed in a matter of minutes and patients and staff can occupy a room directly after decontamination.

The documented increase in hospital acquired infections in general and Medicare’s Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program should also be considered by hospital administrators. Hospitals that score low on meeting quality standards have the potential to lose up to 2 percent of their Medicare reimbursements. In real-world terms, a 300 bed hospital with below standard metrics could be penalized roughly $1.3 million.

DOTmed News: What settings are systems like these most commonly used in?

SG: UVC light systems are being used in acute and post-acute health care settings, in operating rooms, patient and isolation rooms, bathrooms, laboratories within hospitals, emergency rooms and waiting rooms. In previous years, hospitals were the primary users of the technology.

But with the recent rise in HAI infection rates and the high cost of treating HAIs, post-acute care facilities, nurse assisted living, general ambulatory, clinics and even private medical practices are now adding UVC disinfection systems to augment their infection control practices.

It’s important to recognize that HAIs are not covered by insurance plans, so health care facilities are charged with finding proven, reliable methods to reduce infection rates.

UVC systems are also being used in both collegiate and professional sports and by disaster recovery services, environmental cleaning companies and the federal government. In addition, they are used in office settings, where shared tools and electronic devices are targeted for disinfection.”

DOTmed News: Did the Ebola outbreak spark interest in this system and systems like this?

SG: The Ebola virus, in particular in recent months, has made health care providers scrutinize day-to-day adherence to infection control protocols. As a result, interest in alternative means of disinfection has risen greatly.

UVC light technology can simplify decontamination in many cases. The easy operation and speed of the disinfection cycle make UVC light treatment an easy layer of infection control to put in place particularly since many health care workers are already so busy.

Health care facilities are adding new methods to their infection protocols as a result of recent viral and bacterial outbreaks. Some facilities are focusing on changing garments more often, disinfecting offices and handheld tools and equipment, and, in some cases, disposing of everything in infection-exposed isolation rooms. Other health care facilities are using additional technologies such as UVC light in tandem with terminal cleaning.

DOTmed New: What role do you see systems like this playing in the future of infection control?

SG: I think we will see an increased use of UVC light systems, particularly when paired with terminal cleaning. Many health care facilities are required by law to publicly post their infection rates and patients and the general public is paying attention to this public information.

A recent survey found that 75 percent of Americans say it's more important to choose a hospital based on lower infection rates rather than on convenience. Ninety-seven percent said they selected hospitals with a higher safety score over less expensive hospitals with lower safety scores.

UVC light technology will no doubt evolve as needs change, its applications increase and users find innovative ways to apply it. The 99.9 percent disinfection rate achieved by UVC technology makes it an affordable, effective and immediately useful advanced infection control tool. With such versatility, UVC light technology will likely become more and more a part of the modern day healthcare facility’s infection prevention practices.